Thursday, February 28, 2013

Stubbornness


 
Jacob is our firstborn. And like a typical firstborn, he's confident, driven, dominant, and intelligent.

He is also stubborn. Very stubborn.

Our struggle as his parents has always been trying to get those characteristics focused in the right direction

From the moment he was born, he has wanted things done his way.


The nurses whisked him away shortly after he was born because of fluid in his lungs. In the NICU, they hooked him up to a monitor. He immediately grabbed one of the wires and pulled it off his chest. Before the nurse could stop him, he grabbed a second wire, and ripped it off too. She was shocked. She laughed and informed him that he shouldn't have been strong enough or have enough control to do that. Leighton offered his fingers for Jake to grasp, and the monitoring continued.    

I could tell stories of the times he sat at the table for more than 3 hours because he wouldn't eat his dinner. And then how he wouldn't eat the next day until dinner time again because he still refused to eat it all day long. Or about the times when he refused to go to the bathroom the entire day because we weren't at home and he wouldn't go anywhere but home. Or how I used to be called out of every single church service because he was misbehaving. Or how he has sat in his room for hours doing absolutely nothing because he wouldn't complete a single workbook page.

Stubborn.


Our method has always been to be consistent and more stubborn than he is. No, it has not been easy. It's not easy to cancel your plans or walk out of a store before you're done shopping or sit and listen to your child cry.

But already in 7 years, we've seen huge improvements. Now, he'll eat just about anything and is almost always the first one finished. Now, I have his teachers at church tell me how well he behaves. Now, he'll obey pretty quickly without arguing. Now, there is much less struggling.  

Does that mean he's always compliant, he always does his schoolwork without complaining, he always completes his chores without being told??? No. He's still a child. He's still imperfect. He's still a sinner. But that everything-is-always-going-to-be-my-way attitude has changed. Sure, it still hides deep down and resurfaces. That stubborn trait will always linger as part of his personality. 

And that's ok.



Stubbornness in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's where that stubbornness is aimed is what matters. After all, we want our kids to be stubborn in their stand for what's right. Stubborn in their love for God. Stubborn in avoiding evil. Resolute. Tenacious. Uncompromising.

It's our job as parents to help mold our children into the people God wants them to be. It's our responsibility to guide them in making the proper choices. Not to change their personalities, but help them use their qualities in a positive way.    

Jake is a natural born leader. He has charisma, self-confidence, and assertiveness. Throughout his life, he will influence people. I want to help him strengthen his personality now, so he will have the character later to point people to the Truth.

And I will be stubborn.

 
Pin It

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Handwriting Without Tears App



Are you one of those people who likes to write? To grasp the pen in your fingers and feel it glide across the paper? I am not. My husband is, and I think he's crazy. (Though those 2 facts might not be related. Ha!) When I first heard about the Handwriting Without Tears (HWT) curriculum a few years ago, I was drawn to the name. It's not that my handwriting is a mess (in fact, I think it's pretty neat), but that I just don't like to write, ya know? I'd much rather type. Or let my hubby fill out forms and sign papers. {wink}

But from what I've heard over and over again is that the curriculum is more than just a cute name. It's a really great program for teaching kids handwriting. The multi-sensory program is geared toward students preschool-5th grade and is used for just 15 minutes a day. They recently released a new line of  student books, teacher guides, and the Wet-Dry-Try app.

Our techy family got to try the new app. 



The Wet-Dry-Try app is based on the curriculum's slate chalkboard activity that is used to teach capital letters and numbers. Like the physical board, the smiley face in the corner reinforces top-to-bottom and left-to-right directionality, and the frame prevents and eliminates reversals along with helping to keep the writing a consistent size.

So, how does it work? Simple, just like writing on a real chalkboard . . . without all the dust and the squeaky chalk! First, the app shows the child how to properly write the letter using a virtual piece of chalk. Then, the child uses a sponge to wet the letter. After that, he uses a towel to dry it. Finally, he gets to try his own letter with the chalk.

There are 2 ways to practice. The first is the pick and practice section. Here, the child can choose which letter he would like to write. Once he completes all the steps (wet, dry, try), he earns a star under that letter. With each star, the difficulty of the levels increase. Star 1 allows for the most stroke leniency; star 2 requires a little more accuracy; star 3 necessitates closely following the original chalk marks used to demonstrate the letter. After earning all 3 stars, the student wins a letter card.


The second choice to practice is by following HWT's winning order of letters. It teaches the easiest skills first, and then builds on prior knowledge. The letters are grouped together by formation: frog jump, starting corner, and center starting. In this section, the student begins with letter F. After he earns 1 star, letter E is opened, and so on. Again, there are 3 levels of difficulty for each letter and a letter card for completion.

My 4½-year-old and 3-year-old enjoy playing this app. I was a little skeptical at first since they have to trace the letter 3 times before earning a star. I thought the redundancy might bore them. Not once did they complain though. And I admit, once I tried myself, I understood why! It's kinda addicting following all the steps. I was a little nostalgic as I wet the board, dried it, and retraced the letter with chalk. I was reminded of all the times I did that in school as a child.

Then I heard, "Mommy, is it my turn yet???"


Alyssa did very well with her letters. She already writes beautifully with pen and paper. There are times when I have to remind her how to form certain letters, so this is great practice for her. Zac has not had much practice writing letters. He did well when he chose the letters himself (probably because he picked the ones that were easiest for him), but struggled when following the winning order, specifically in completing the letters with the curved lines. When he got frustrated after repeatedly hearing "Oops, Try again." I would help him. He did think it was pretty funny though when he'd hear "Cool beans!" when he'd trace the correct lines.

There were parts of the program that were a little confusing for the kids. For instance, if they strayed off the line at all, it would stop them and make them start over. Also, if they did not trace all the way to a connecting line (like the middle of the humps in the letter B), it would tell them they were wrong. I'm sure these are things that will be corrected as they become more proficient in writing their letters.


The app costs $4.99 and is available for both iPad and Android and can be purchased from iTunes or Google Play. The app includes capital letters and numbers because of their philosophy that capitals are developmentally easier, but I think it would be a great addition if they offered the lower case letters as well, maybe unlocked after the capitals are mastered. Regardless, we will be using Wet-Dry-Try to continue practicing the letters and perfecting formation. (And maybe I'll continue to play just because it's fun!)   


If techy-learning is just not your thing, make sure to check out the reviews of the physical books from Handwriting Without Tears on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.



Photobucket

Disclaimer: I received this product for free as a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated in any other way. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC regulations.
Pin It

Friday, February 22, 2013

Things That Make Me Smile 2/22/13

Jake 7 yr, Alyssa 4½, Zac 3 yr, Tyler 10 m

Happy Friday! It's been another week of sickies in our house. Someone else comes down with a fever, chills, and aches every other day. So far, everyone has gotten it except Leighton. If the pattern continues, he'll be feeling icky tomorrow night. Pray he doesn't get it! I'm thinking I just may never sleep again. Between getting up with the baby and then taking care of the other kids, I haven't slept in 2 weeks. Just think how much I could get accomplished at night if I gave up sleep altogether! Ha!

Leighton was given 2 Red Wings tickets yesterday, just a couple hours before the game began. My mom came over and watched the kids so we could go on an impromptu date. Have I ever mentioned how wonderful our family is and how thankful I am for them???

How was your week? Do you have a smile to share? Feel free to leave a comment so we can smile with you!


1. While watching Willy Wonka before our banquet . . .
My Mom, about Violet Beauregarde: "That's who I'm going to be tomorrow."
Zac: "Nooo, we just want you to be Gramma."

2. Jake: "I don't know, but I'm sure."

3. Tyler stealing onions from the pantry.


 4. Jake: "What?!? Some people eat snails? Who would do that??? . . . I know, 1) people who don't have any money . . . "
Alyssa: "2) the devil."

5. Zac: "I love you a lotta much."

6. Alyssa, about a compass: "I have a GPS."

7. Jake, while doing schoolwork: "Ugh, I should've stayed home today . . ."

8. Zac just said, "Wow! That's brilliant!"

9. Alyssa: "He needs to chillax."


What made you smile this week?





Pin It

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Wordless Wednesday 2/20/13







Pin It

Flowering Baby



Young kids are inquisitive and love to learn. Each new experience is exciting; each day an adventure. As a parent, especially a homeschooling parent, I try to give my kids many rich experiences now, while they're young. I believe that giving them a good educational foundation will encourage a lifetime of learning. I've said many times that to me homeschooling is a way of life. It's not setting aside x-amount of time to do school, but is a continual learning process. It's not solely about math and history, but is also about learning valuable life skills.

That's why I like Flowering Baby. It's a whole-child developmental approach for learning.  What's really exciting is that they offer curriculum for birth through age 5. It is designed by year and broken down by month and can be started at any point at any time.


Birth to One Year
I've had people ask me when I start teaching my kids. My answer? From birth! Really, you do it too. Babies are learning all the time. When I cry, mama picks me up. When I open my mouth, food comes in. When I throw my toy on the floor, daddy picks it up. When I squeal, my siblings laugh. Cause and effect. The Flowering Baby curriculum helps the parent have an intentional plan to teach baby. Working with your baby for 20 minutes a day, 20 days of the month can greatly increase his learning.

With Tyler, we used the 9-12 month portion of the program. Some days just he and I worked on an activity, but most of the time the older kids played along with us. We played games like stacking blocks, banging on boxes, pushing cars across the floor, standing, and carrying on "conversations." Sure, they are all simple things to us, but to a tiny baby, they are learning experiences. They listen to sounds, strengthen muscles, practice balancing, and so much more. They also learn how much fun it is to play and hear everyone clap and cheer! Each day there is also a building of the arts, whether it be listening to Classical music, reading a book, or singing a song.
Click here for a sample of the Birth to One Year curriculum

 

Three to Four
The 3-year-olds' curriculum looks a little more like school with things like math (counting, patterns), language (ABCs, sounds), and science (weather, nutrition.) There is also teaching about community helpers, safety issues, self-help abilities, Spanish, social skills, physical activities, and so on. Like the Birth to One Year, there is also time for listening to music, singing, and reading.

A typical day might include singing the ABC song, counting toys in a pile, coloring, reading, and listening to music while completing another task. Some days, especially ones that involve discussions or games will take much longer to accomplish. Overall, the curriculum suggests 30-45 minutes a day, 10-15 days a month purposely teaching your child.    

Along with the general monthly guides, there are 25 theme guides as well. These are designed to complete 2 themes a month and to encourage the child's intrigue of topics by delving into more detail for an extended period of time. There are book and activity suggestions included for each theme.

Zac was so excited to have his own list of things for school. Usually, I just grab a few hands-on things for him to do or allow him to play school games on the iPad while I'm working with the older two. I haven't spent much one-on-one time with him, specifically to do school. Unfortunately, when the baby wakes up, or the 7-year-old is dragging, or dinner needs to be prepared, or, or, or, . . . the poor 3-year-old is the first to get left out of school. I was reminded just how important it is to purposely include him and just how much he loves it. For instance, we played a game where you take a toy (or any object really) and cover all but a tiny portion with a blanket. Then, the other person has to guess what's under the blanket. He loved it! We've played so many times since then. He'll say. "Let's hide toys again!" Not only does it get his little brain working, it gives us precious time spent together. I have a renewed dedication again to intentionally teach him.      
Click here for a sample of the Three to Four curriculum.


Four to Five
The curriculum for the four-year-old is similar to the three-four group. It starts with the same basic monthly guide of 30-45 minutes a day, 10-15 days a month working with your child. It uses the same theme guide as well. The difference? The skills required are more advanced; the content learned, more difficult. The child will begin writing letters & numbers, counting to 50, sounding out letters, completing simple science experiments, and more. There is still an emphasis on singing, reading, listening to music, and playing.

A typical day might look something like this: Sing the ABC song, practice writing the letter J J, look for items that start with J, count to 30, put together 2 puzzles, read a book about triangles, draw triangles on paper and cut them out, build a pyramid using blocks, discuss the difference between a 2-D triangle and a 3-dimensional one, practice kicking different kinds of balls with each foot. 

Alyssa loves school. She loves learning. She loves doing work. She soaked up each activity from this curriculum that I presented to her. In fact, if I hadn't yet started working with her during the day, she'd say, "I thought we were going to practice writing Os?" Yep, she's my little schoolgirl. Most of the things in the curriculum were already very familiar to her since I've been working with her for a while. We learn best through repetition, so it was all very good practice for her. Also, children learn best through play and hands-on activities, which are abundant with this program.
 Click here for a sample of the Four to Five c urriculum.


What do we think of Flowering Baby? We love it! It's a thorough program that can be accomplished multiple times a week. All the activities and resources are listed, making it very easy to schedule a day. If the child is feeling overwhelmed by the work, simply leave out portions to make it more manageable. The program builds on itself, giving your child a solid foundation for school. I really like that the Three to Four schedule mirrored the Four to Five for things like books, music, themes and such since it made it much more doable when using this program with 3 kids. We all tend to do activities and book reading together, so having the curriculum the same saved us some time because of the overlapping. I really like that it has a strong literature base. Some of the books on the list we own, some were found at the library, and others can be read for free online. The program uses household items and typical children's toys, so you don't have to buy any special materials to complete it. Simply use the things you have around your house.

Flowering Baby is sold on CD and is in PDF format. (There is also a link on their site to purchase it online and immediately start downloading the program.) The yearly plans for birth-1, 1-2, and 2-3 cost $30, and the plans for 3-4 and 4-5 cost $38 a piece. Or you can purchase all 5 years for $132. The author has also graciously offered a 10% discount to our readers. Simply use Blog10 at checkout on floweringbaby.com.

If you'd like to see what other families thought of Flowering Baby, check out the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog for more reviews.


Photobucket

Disclaimer: As a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew, I received the entire Flowering Baby curriculum in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was given.
Pin It

Monday, February 18, 2013

Things That Make Me Smile 2/15/13

Jake 7 yr, Alyssa 4½ yr, Zac 3 yr, Tyler 10 m


Happy Monday! This past week was super busy. Tyler got sick again. After being on the IV antibiotics for 4 weeks, his immune system is down. The poor baby was miserable, way worse than the entire ordeal in the hospital during the month of January. He has not slept much at all, waking up all night long crying. Zac and I also felt pretty poorly. So far, the rest of the family has a lesser case.

During that time, I was preparing for a banquet at church this past Saturday. Each host couple chooses the theme for their own table. Leighton and I picked Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. There's so much I could describe, so I just might write up its own post. Such a fun time!

It was a busy, tiring week, but still one filled with many smiles.


1. Jake, while trying to untangle a Slinky: "Ugh, why aren't these fixable? Somebody should update them." 

2. Zac: "This banana taste like zebra."
Me, chuckling: "Like zebra? Wow."
Zac: "Yeah."
Two minutes later . . .
Me, noticing the banana was speckled: "Oh, it tastes like zebra because of the spots? You mean like a leopard."
Zac: "Yeah!"

3. Alyssa: "You need to pray to get a baby."
Me: "Oh? Is that how it works?"
Alyssa: "Yep. When I'm a mommy and I have 2 babies, I'll be all set. I'm not going to pray for any more. Babies are a lot of work."

4.


5. Alyssa: "My brain won't let me clean my toys up."

6. Jake (7 yrs): "May I be excused, please?"
Me: "But you've only taken 2 bites. Aren't you hungry?"
Jake: "Nah, I just want to do school."
Me: "Who are you???"
Jake: "Jacob."
Me: "Hmmm . . ."
Jake: "I'm the new Jacob. I'm going to try to stay out of trouble."

7. Me: "I'm your favoritest mommy ever!"
Zac: "Mommy, you said that wrong."

8. Zac: "My finger hurts."
I gently held his hand and sweetly kissed his tiny boo-boo.
Zac, looked at his hand, looked back at me, shocked: "It still hurts." 

9. Jake: "Mooom! Alyssa's being mean!"
Me: "Alyssa, what's the problem?"
Alyssa, scowling: "I'm mad because Jake called me fish-face more times than I called him!"

10. Me: "You need to brush your teeth."
Zac, whining: "But I can't do it all."
Me: "Do you think you can just brush the ones that are in your mouth?"
Zac: "Yeah."

11. Zac, about his Blue Pillow: "She's not a girl. She's a boy."

12. Alyssa: "Ooo ooo ooo. I was made for gorilla talk."

13. Zac: "I have 2 boots 'cause I have 2 foots. I'm pretty smart, right?"

14. My dad and Zac were in a room. When Tyler crawled in, Zac said, "Hi, namby pants! Welcome to the man room!"


What made YOU smile this week???

Pin It

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Wordless Wednesday 2/13/13


Pin It

Tasty Tuesday: King Cake

I've always associated Fat Tuesday with paczki. I'm amazed to hear how many people have never eaten one or even heard of them though! Pretty much they're like fruit or cream-filled doughnuts. But better. The kids have mentioned them multiple times since we made them a couple years ago. Instead of making them again this year, we made another Fat Tuesday treat - king cake.

While we don't partake in or condone the festivities of Mardi Gras, we do enjoy yummy food. I had never had king cake before or really knew much about it. The cake represents the 3 wise men that visited Jesus. Oftentimes, a small plastic baby is baked inside the cake as a special surprise.

A traditional king cake is very similar to cinnamon rolls. The dough is made, rolled out, filled with a cinnamon-sugar mixture, and rolled. Instead of being cut, the log is formed into a ring and baked. It is then topped with a simple icing and decorated with purple, yellow, and green sugar.



The kids had fun making this, but even more fun eating it! We're a big cinnamon roll family, so I knew they would love it. Alyssa was very impressed with how "beautiful" and "fancy" it looked with the stripes and Jake would have gladly eaten half the cake in a singe sitting had we let him. "It is Fat Tuesday," he argued. Hmm, good point!

I have a feeling we won't be waiting until next Fat Tuesday before making this again.




King Cake
Cake Ingredients:
¼ cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees F)
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp softened butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 c sour cream
3½ Tbsp white sugar
3½ c all-purpose flour, or as needed
2½ tsp active dry yeast

Filling Ingredients:
½ c white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
5 Tbsp melted butter
1 c chopped pecans (optional)

Glaze Ingredients:
1½ c confectioner's sugar
1½ Tbsp melted butter
⅛ tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp milk, or as needed
1 Tbsp purple colored sugar
1 Tbsp green colored sugar
1 Tbsp yellow colored sugar
 
Directions:
1. Place the warm water, salt, softened butter, egg, sour cream, 3½ tablespoons of sugar, flour, and yeast into a bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer, select the dough cycle, and start the machine. Check the dough after about 5 minutes of mixing, and add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of water or flour if the dough is too dry or wet.
2. Mix ½ cup of sugar, the cinnamon, and 5 tablespoons of melted butter together in a bowl. Grease a baking sheet, and set aside.
3. When the dough cycle is finished, remove the dough and roll out to a 10x28-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Spread the cinnamon-butter mixture over the dough, and sprinkle on an even layer of pecans, if using. Starting at a long edge, and roll the dough into a 28-inch long log. Place the rolled dough onto the prepared baking sheet, seam side down, and form the dough into a ring. Moisten the ends of the dough with a little water; pinch the two ends together to seal. Cover the dough ring with a cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
4. Bake the cake at 375 degrees F until the top is golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.
5. Mix the confectioner's sugar, 1½ tablespoons of melted butter, vanilla extract, and just enough milk to make a smooth but not thin glaze.
6. Remove the cake from the oven, and cool for about 10 minutes on a wire rack. While the cake is still warm, spoon the glaze onto the cake, allowing drips of glaze to dribble down the sides of the cake. Immediately sprinkle the cake with alternating bands of purple, green, and yellow colored sugar.
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.
Pin It

Friday, February 8, 2013

Things That Make Me Smile 2/8/13

Happy Friday! What a great week we've had! Jake finished his first full-length chapter book all by himself. I think he may be starting to actually enjoying reading a tiny bit, but shhh, don't tell him because I don't think he's quite realized it yet himself. Leighton and the kids made a delicious cake for my birthday, all chocolatey and peanut buttery and super yummy. Maybe I can con him into writing up a post with the recipe soon! (Hear that, Honey???) A friend I hadn't seen in many years came over with her 4 children. We had a good time catching up and our kids had lots of fun playing together.    

Lots of fun, lots of laughing, lots of smiles.


1. Alyssa, dreamily: "Every time I see Tyler, it's like a dream come true." 

2. Zac, after jumping off the couch: "I was flying like a butterfly!"

3. Zac: "I'm not going to marry Alyssa."
Me: "Why not?"
Zac: "'Cause her has green eyes."
Me: "What color eyes do you want to marry?"
Zac: "Blue!"

4. Jake: "What do you call a hippo with the hiccups? . . . A hiccupotamus!"

5. Jake: "Mom, can you make my sandwich?"
Me: "Why can't you make it yourself?"
Jake: "Because you put love in it, and it tastes so much better than when I make it. I don't know how to put love in it."

6.


7. Alyssa: "You're the best mom. Every time Tyler cries, you get him."

8. Zac & Tyler were playing under the kitchen table. When Tyler coughed, Zac told him, "Shh! They'll see you."

9. Me: "What would you like to drink?"
Zac: "Can I have some alligator?"
Me: "Some what?"
Zac: "Alligator."
Me, confused: "What? . . . Oh, Gatorade?"

10. Jake: "He taught me how to speak British."
Me: "Really? And how do you do that?"
Jake: "It's easy. All you do is take a word and add ish to it."

11. Zac: "We need hi-ya wheels for the van so it can hi-ya through the snow."


What made you smile this week???


P.S. I just realized that it's February and I have not written '13 for the date on any of my posts this year! I've been putting '12 this whole time. And no one even pointed it out! (And yes, I'm off to change each one now . . . )  :)
Pin It

Sunday, February 3, 2013

The Old Shoolhouse

Another year of The Old Schoolhouse review crew started a few weeks ago. We've already gotten some really great products that are working very well with our family. We have been so blessed to be part of this group. 

Each month, the issue The Old Schoolhouse (TOS) magazine is available online. I've said many times that I'm a book-holding, paper-loving, feel-it-in-my-hands type of girl. When TOS first switched to just a digital magazine (except for 1 huge paper issue a year), I was slightly disappointed. No more finding the beautiful surprise in my mailbox each month. No more randomly flipping through the pages immediately upon retrieving it. No more adding to my collection stacked neatly and chronologically on the shelf.  

But you know what made me forgive them for stealing my beloved paper copy??? 

It's now FREE! (Yep, I can easily be won over by a good deal, and there's no deal better than free.) Plus, I have to admit, it's really convenient having multiple issues on the iPad that I can access when I'm out without having to lug my entire library around with me. Ha!


Don't think that because they're giving this magazine away for nothing means that the quality is lacking. It's 156 pages packed full of great resources that will help every homeschooling family. There are articles about the importance of quality literature, for those with special needs children, about history (even an interview with a colonel!), for those with preschoolers, for those who are struggling, and so much more.

If you are homeschooling, thinking about homeschooling . . . or just want a free magazine, make sure to get the February issue of The Old Schoolhouse magazine

Enjoy!

Pin It

Friday, February 1, 2013

Things That Make Me Smile 2/1/13

Jake 7yr, Alyssa 4½ yr, Zac 3 yr, Tyler 10 m


Happy Friday! Right after I posted my Smiles last week, the nurse came and removed Tyler's PICC line! It was so wonderful kissing on his little arm. He was thrilled to be able to take a bath again and enjoyed 2 of them on Saturday. So fun! This was the first week where things have been back to "normal."  And normal is good.

Here are a few other things that made me smile this week:


1. Jake, giving Tyler a kiss: "Mmm, you taste delicious."

2. Jake: "Want to come see how much I weigh?"
Me: "Can't you just tell me?"
Jake: "Can you please just come see?"
{heading to the bathroom, Jake steps on scale}
Me: "190 pounds?!? Hmm, I think you may have changed the balance lever, like 150 pounds."
Jake, laughing: "How did you know?"

3. Zac, talking about a picture of Tyler with red eyes: "What! He's a monster?"

4. Zac: "I win!"
Uncle Gary: "Oh yeah? And how did you win?"
Zac: "I hiya-ed you!"

5.


6. Alyssa: "Zac did something to Tyler, but I don't know what."
Zac: "I don't know either."

7. Zac, while putting together a train set: "Mommy, this track won't listen to me!"

8. Jake: "Cavendish? That's a silly name. It sounds like Kevin Dish."

9. Zac: "May I have ice cream, please?"
Me: "Yes."
Zac, runs into the kitchen and returns whining: "There's no ice cream in the pantry."
Me: "There's no ice cream in the pantry??? Aw, man!"
Alyssa, opens the freezer and comes running over: "Mom! Everything in the freezer is about to die! There's no light in the freezer!"

10. Me: "That's not a word."
Jake: "Anything you say can be a word. You said it and you say words, so it's a word."


What made you smile this week?



Pin It